Somerset LPD will Commission in Philadelphia

The Navy will commission the third San Antonio-class (LPD-17) amphibious warship — Somerset (LPD-25) — named after a Sept. 11, 2001 attack site in Philadelphia, Pa., according to a Thursday releases from Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.).

Somerset County in Pennsylvania was where the hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 crashed on Sept. 11. Passengers and crew attempted to seize control of the plane from terrorists and the plane ultimately crashed before reaching its target.

“The ship is named in honor of the courageous passengers whose actions prevented the 9-11 hijackers from killing many more Americans. Pennsylvanians will be privileged to have the ship begin her service to the country in the Port of Philadelphia,” read a statement from Toomey’s office.

“We have taken great pride in our role to ensure that this sacrifice is never forgotten. I’m pleased that our state will have the honor of having this ship begin its service in the Port of Philadelphia,” read a statement from Casey’s office.

The Navy has named two other ships for Sept. 11 attack sites. USS New York (LPD-21) for the attack on the World Trade Center and USS Arlington (LPD-24) for the attack on the Pentagon.

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About Sam LaGrone

Sam LaGrone is the editor of USNI News. He was formerly the U.S. Maritime Correspondent for the Washington D.C. bureau of Jane’s Defence Weekly and Jane’s Navy International. He has covered legislation, acquisition and operations for the Sea Services and spent time underway with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the Canadian Navy.